South Korea Trip: School Food, Twosome Place, and Rio Cafe

During our trip in Seoul, we visited some restaurants and cafes. From them all, I had three recommended places to visit during your stay in Seoul:

1. School Food

We visited School Food at M Plaza in Myeong-dong. It was at lunch time and we just finished our hanbok photo session. We ordered toppoki, kimbap, and tofu ramen.

School Food

toppoki

Kimbap

Tofu Ramen

Massida!

All the foods were delicious and the taste was not too spice nor plain. The atmosphere was right for lunch time and it was not too crowded. We also saw some young girls at there too, which seems like a favorite lunch place. The price was affordable and we was really happy to fill our stomach there.


2. Twosome Place cafe

We visited Twosome Place near our hostel in Myeong-dong. The first reason why we visited this cafe was because it has Lee Min Ho picture on front of the cafe. My sister is a huge fan of Lee Min Ho, so we entered the cafe and ordered a coffee and desert. I forget the name of the desert, all I remember is the dessert was delicious, not too sweet, and just right. The coffee was good too, I forget whether we order cappuccino or mocha latte, but it was in the right composition too.

it looks good and taste good!

my sister and her Lee Min Ho :P

The consumer who entered the cafe are various, but most of them are in the early 20's or late 20's.

Definitely will stop by if I found a Twosome Place cafe again nearby.


3. Rio Cafe

We visit Rio Cafe at Hangang Bridge. Originally we just want to visit any cafe at the bridge that has futuristic look. This idea was inspired by a korean series called "Missing You". We were so amuse by the look of the cafe and decided to visit such cafe when we travel to Seoul.

Even though the original cafe that was in the Missing You series is not Rio Cafe (it was Gureum Cafe), but it still amazing for us to see how sophisticated the look of the cafe.

Rio Cafe

the cashier

our cups of coffee

I ordered tiramisu cake as desert, cappuccino, and a unique coffee name that I don't remember. The coffee was good, the ambiance was calm and peaceful, and the view from inside the cafe was good (but not stunning).

I recommend you to visit any of the cafe nearby Hangang, Banpo, Hannam, or Jamsil bridge. The looks of those cafe will amuse you or at least make you feel like you're going to the future for a while.



XOXO,
The Tourist

South Korea Trip: Korean Street Foods

During the first three days of our trip in Seoul, we've already tried some of the street food. However, during my stays in Korea, I ate only twice a day, and I didn't felt hungry at all. Maybe because the city attracts me more than its food.

Street food can easily be found in shopping center like Myeong-dong and Insa-dong. The first street beverage that we tried was pomegranate juice, with price 5,000 won. Yes, it was that pricey, unfortunately we forget to take a photo with it before we drank it all up.

The next street food that we tried was fish cake. We bought it in Insa-dong. The seller had plenty kinds of fish cake. We tried the spicy fish cake. The seller remind us that it will be very spicy, but maybe because we usually eat chilly sauce in Indonesia, so the spiciness is still in our range.

the fishcake seller

with spicy fishcake

The next food is Macaroon Ice Cream. The first thought when I saw the stall was "I have to buy this one!". There are many flavors for the ice cream, and you can choose the macaroon that you want to complete the ice cream. We choose cheesecake for the ice cream and vanilla for the macaroon. The cheesecake ice cream was delicious, but the macaroon was too sweet for me.

the macaroon ice cream

it's tasty

The third food was Bungeoppang, it looks exactly like Taiyaki in Japan, a fish shaped bread with filling. Bungeoppang that I tried was using red beans as its fillings. For me, Bungeoppang taste more crispy and the shape is smaller compared to Chocolate Taiyaki that I tried in Japan.

my waarm and tasty bungeoppang

Another food that we tried was fruity ice cream. We bought it inside Dongdaemun Design Plaza. The taste is so so for me, not as amazing as it's looks. But who don't love eating ice cream in cold weather?

ice cream seller inside Dongdaemun Design Plaza

Kiwi ice cream

The rest is not Korean related food & beverage, but they're also my favorite. Since I usually need coffee to start up my day, so these two tasty Starbucks were really helpful in waking my eyes up.

Caramel Latte

white coffee

Last but not least is another amazing Kinder's product. Kinder's never stop blow me up with its products, and this one not only tasty but also healthy because it has cereals in it :D

Kinder Chocolate with Cereals

And now if I feel hungry again after writing my own review....


XOXO,
The Tourist

South Korea Trip: Tosokchon, The Famous Samgyetang near Gyeongbokgung Palace

After visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace, we started to feel hungry. We have planned to visit a famous Samgyetang seller near the palace. The restaurant name is Tosokchon, it is very famous for its samgyetang. My office mate who ever visit seoul also recommended this restaurant.

The location is not far from Gyeongbokgung. It is located in a small alley, but since this one is famous, people already know its location and already queued outside the restaurant. The queue is not long, I guess because the restaurant is big so they have plenty seats.

we had to queue to get into Tosokchon

we ordered Chicken Stew with Ginseng. We thought it is only consist of chicken, but amazingly it also has rice and herbs inside the chicken! it taste great and ginseng really useful in keeping our body warm.

the famous and tasty Samgyetang

they also gave us free fermented ginseng, or is this soju?

The great thing is, even though this restaurant famous, its price are affordable. Really recommend everybody to come and try its samgyetang :)

the price list

When we come out from the restaurant, the queue already disappeared, maybe it's only happened during lunch time.

in front of Tosokchon

XOXO,
The Tourist

Singapore Trip: Simply Wrapps and Laduree

Here are two foods that I highly recommend while you're on Singapore:

1. Simply Wrapps

I tried Simply Wrapps booth in Raffles City Mall. I know this place from internet and thought that I want to eat such healthy food like this. I ordered Journey to Norway with tomato basil wrap, while my traveling partner ordered Tuna Lovers without wrap. The vegetables were so fresh and the smoke salmon inside my Journet to Norway were also tasty. The tomato basil wrap also added the flavor uniqueness.

the store

Journey to Norway with Tomato Basil Wrap

Tuna Lovers

2. Laduree Macaron

Laduree originally from Paris and also well known as one of the best macarons in the world. I bought Ladurees macaroon in Tangs Mall at Orchard Road. The macaroon is pricey and you can't buy just one. The smallest portion that you can buy is 6 pieces. The taste of the macaron is so delicious, not too sweet like other macaron and the bun also crispy. I really enjoy every bite of it.

6 pieces box

the flavor choices

XOXO,
The Tourist

Thailand Trip: Rooftop Dining at Zense

If you googling about what to do in Bangkok, rooftop dining will be one of the recommendations. There are many rooftop dinner places in Bangkok. The most popular rooftop dining in Bangkok is Sky Bar - Lebua at State Tower and Vertigo and Moon Bar at Banyan Tree Hotel. Those two require minimum spending with expensive price if we want to make reservation. Because me and my traveling partner had limited budget so we decided to choose the more affordable rooftop dining place, which was Zense. We were so happy when finding out that Zense located in Central World mall, which can be reached by foot from our hostel.

When arrived in Central World, it was quite difficult to find the lift to the 17th floor where Zense's located. We called the restaurant and then the receptionist told us to take lift in a Zen shopping mall. I guess we came too early at that time, so the restaurant still empty, but that was great because we can pick the best spot that we want.

the view from our seats

I ordered Salmon Crispy and my traveling partner ordered black pepper beef as the main course. The foods were tasty, especially the dessert, Mango Sticky Rice. The view were amazing too, especially we could see the sunset while we were eating our dinner.

mango crispy

black pepper beef

enjoying my dinner

it's already sunset

When the night came, the lights from buildings and skyscraper gave different look to the view.

the night view

Overall, great view and tasty view were blend into memorable combination in Zense. I love it!


XOXO,
The Tourist

Japanese - Padangnese Fusion Foods at Suntiang

Lately I often see my friends post about a new restaurant that serves fusion food between Japanese and West Sumatra food. This restaurant named Suntiang, and it is located in Pondok Indah Mall 2, South Jakarta, Indonesia. West Sumatra is well known for its spicy foods and also foods with coconut milk in it. West Sumatra foods also called as Padangnese foods.

That time my stomach was not really hungry and I just wanted to fulfill my curiosity about this restaurant. I ordered 3 foods: Rendang Roll, Ayam Pop (Oily Chicken) Roll, and Ayam Bakar (Grilled chicken) Onigiri.

Clockwise, from top: Rendang Roll, Grilled Chicken Onigiri, Ayam Pop (Oily Chicken) Roll

For me, the idea about combining these to culture is great, but when it come to taste, I don't think they are that match. Even though I usually eat Rendang with rice, but that time the Rendang Sushi just didn't even close to the delicacy of Rendang itself. Since I am half West Sumatra, so I really appreciate the good taste of Padangnese foods.

Actually Suntiang also has other menus like Gulai Ramen and the Chicken Brain menu. Maybe I should try them all to change my opinion. Still, I really appreciate the idea, but the taste is just not fit for me.


XOXO,
The Tourist

Japan Trip: Kobe Beef at Wakkoqu, Kobe

My last destination in Japan was Kobe. The idea to visit Kobe was simply "Eating Kobe Beef in Kobe". Besides, Kobe is located near Osaka, and I will return to Indonesia from Kansai International Airport, Osaka.

Me and my travel partner decided to come to Tokyo Station earlier than our Shinkansen schedule, because we wanted to take some pictures in at Tokyo Station before leaving Tokyo. Tokyo Station is famous for its design. It has splendor looks of old times, but stand still among the skyscrapers. Since it was opened initially in 1914, so this year this station will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Wow!

in front of Tokyo Station

After filling my camera with Tokyo station pics, me and my travelling partner continue our journey using Shinkansen to Kobe. The travel took 3 hours long. After arrived at Shin-Kobe, we directly looked for locker room to deposit our luggage. Unfortunately the lockers were almost full so only my luggage can be deposit in there. My travelling partner should drags his luggage to everywhere from there (sorry :P).

We planed to eat the kobe beef in Wakkoqu. This restaurant is located in a shopping complex beside Shin-Kobe station. Actually we already made reservation in the Wakkoqu, but when we arrived there at the reservation time, the receptionist told us to returned 30 minutes later. So all we did just walking around in the quite shopping complex and sight seeing the souvenir shop near by.

After 30 minutes, we came back to the restaurant and the receptionist gave our seats. We seat in front of the cooking station, similar like Teppanyaki restaurant where the chef cooks in front of you. A chef then came to us, he then showed us which menu that includes Kobe beef in it. Then we choose sirloin lunch set as our lunch. The sirloin lunch set was priced 5,000 yen per person. The lunch set included cream soup as appetizer, Kobe Beef and fried rice as main course, and ice cream as dessert.  After we decided our menu, the chef then bring out our kobe beef. it looked so fresh and looked so yummy.

Raw Kobe Beef

The chef then started to cut garlic, and those thin garlic the fried one by one separately. I even saw he looked so focus and patient in frying each garlic. While waiting him frying the garlic, we enjoyed a cream soup as our appetizer. After the garlic done, he then started to cooked small sliced of the Kobe beef, also some other complimentary ingredient. At first I though eating Kobe Beef is felt like eating a normal steak, but this time is different. When the small slices of Kobe Beef reached medium rare. The chef taught us how to eat it. We should put a little salt on it and then just eat. It tasted so good really fresh and tender.  He then taught us to eat it with many ways, like using soy sauce, or using vegetables.

cream soup as appetizer

a plate with kobe beef, salt, potato, mustard, konnyaku, pepper, garlic, eggplant, and paprika

ice cream as dessert

my traveling partner enjoying his meals

While cooking, the chef greeted us and chatted with us. He told us that he has cooked for 14 years. He also said that the soy sauce that he used is Kikkoman, which is the one that I also used at home.

the chef

Overall, eating Kobe beef was not just about eating, full, and leave, but also experiencing the art of eating Kobe beef on various ways and looking the art of cooking each ingredients.


XOXO,
The Tourist

Japan Trip: Whale Sashimi and Steak at Kujiraya, Shibuya

When I was in Shibuya, I looked fo a famous whale restaurant named Kujiraya. Even though I often heard that whale is one of the protected animals in the world, but eating it could be a once in a lifetime experience for me. At first I couldn't find the restaurant location. But when I was going to give up, then suddenly my travelling partner told me that we were walking in front of Kujiraya. This restaurant is located under Shibuya 101 building, but you should come in from outside the building.

That night the restaurant not really full, so we can easily got out seat without waiting. We ordered Whale Steak and Whale Sashimi.

Whale Sashimi

Whale Steak

For me, the Whale Steak tasted similar like beef and the Whale Sashimi taste like tuna but the texture was more stiff than tuna, so I like tuna better.

the texture of Whale Sashimi

me eating Whale Steak

Overall, it was a nice experience to eat whale. The price was affordable too, around 2,000-3,000 yen for both of the meals.


XOXO,
The Tourist

Japan Trip: Sushi Dai, Tokyo

The third city that I visited during my trip in Japan was Tokyo. When it comes to find out which sushi is the best in Tokyo, well, there are plenty of it, and most of them are expensive and need to reserve long time prior coming to the sushi store. After doing some googling, I found a famous sushi place that still affordable for me and my travel partner. The name is Sushi Dai and it is located in the famous Tsukiji Fish Market.

When reading the review of Sushi Dai, many people said that the come very early in the morning, at 5 a.m. and some peoples have already queued to get into Sushi Dai. Because I was too lazy to wake up at 4 a.m, so I woke at 5 a.m. and arrived at Tsukiji Fish Market at 6 a.m. Even at 6 a.m. the queuing line already long. Actually the cause of the queue is because the seats only available for about 13 or 14 peoples, and each chef only dedicated to serve certain amount of people (3 to 4 people), then they prepared each of the sushi carefully and serve it one at a time.

The queue has already this long when I came at 6 a.m.

We waited about 2 and half hours. Maybe because it was still in the morning, so the temperature was about 11-12 degree celcius. Waiting with that cold tem perature was really frustrating. I had to cover my head since the cold air and the do-nothing queue made my brain freezing. Luckily the waitress from Sushi Dai felt came out and bring us hot ocha to warm up our body. I was really appreciated it.

he felt so bored waiting with slow progress

morning view of Tsukiji Fish Market. I don't know what kind of car these fish sellers are using, but it was everywhere in Tsukiji

the free hot ocha, the cure for my brain freeze

in front of Sushi Dai

Actually at first I only wanted to buy the Jyou (standard) set, with 7 different nigiri sushi, because it was cheaper compared to Omakase course ("trust the chef course") with 10 different nigiri sushi. Jyou was 2,500 yen and Omakase was 3,900 yen. But after waited 2.5 hours, my patient already gone and I wanted to get reward for my long waiting by having the best choice Sushi Dai can offer, so I change to Omasake Course. Omasake Course turned out to be the best choice, because I had a chance to taste the best sushi set I have ever eaten. The Omasake course includes 10 different nigiri sushi + 1"whatever you want" nigiri sushi, hot ocha, miso soup, sushi rolls, and rolled egg (tamago).

inside Sushi Dai

10 nigiri sushi, 1 rolled egg, and sushi rolls

this miso soup contains many kinds of fish

the hot ocha

the options for "whatever you want" nigiri sushi. don't worry, this extra sushi is free. 

my choice for "whatever you want" nigiri sushi. I choose Red Clam Nigiri Sushi.

The chef who served me and my travelling partner is the son of the Sushi Dai owner, I did not remember whether he is the 2nd or 3rd generation. Before he served us, he asked how many wasabi for our sushi. My travelling partner said he didn't want any wasabi. Hearing this statement, he looked amazed and he told to other chefs that someone didn't want to use wasabi. The other chefs were amazed too. Then he asked where we came from because he wondered why there's somebody who did not want wasabi to be included in his sushi.

the chef is preparing our sushi

my best sushi experience :')

When you eat in here, you don't need to worry about how much soy sauce should be put into the sushi because the chef already put the right amount of soy sauce into the sushi. And if you add more soy sauce, you'll lose the best taste of the sushi.

Overall, even though the wait was painful, but the taste of the course was worth all the wait. I can say it was the best sushi experience that I have ever had. :D


XOXO,
The Tourist